Baking soda takes care of dirty pans

The Lowell Sun

Updated:
01/18/2013 06:35:56 AM EST

Cleaning pans can be a tough job. Often, you can simply fill the pot or pan with soapy water and let it soak, then clean it later, or remove what you can with a wooden or plastic spatula. If scorch marks remain, add a paste of baking soda and vinegar, or baking soda, dish liquid, a bit of water and a dryer sheet (such as Bounce), and let soak overnight. Scrub with a green Scotch-Brite pad or a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. If you still have some stubborn marks, you can use oven cleaner or products such as Bon Ami, Cameo or Bar Keepers Friend.

The first reader tip shares another idea:

Cleaning stainless steel pan: If I think food will be hard to clean from the pan, I'll heat up some water in it on the stove (not a full boil, but a really good heating), along with a drop or two of dish soap. Once the water is heated, I turn the stove off and cover the pot. Once I'm ready to clean, it usually comes off with ease. -- Libby, Canada

Put the word out: I answered an ad for baby clothes on Craigslist when my granddaughter was a newborn. Being an obsessed grandmother, I insisted we get clothes far in advance. The seller was offering clothes from places like the Children's Place, babyGap, Gymboree -- expensive stuff that I wasn't going to buy new. As it turns out, her baby girl is exactly one year older than my grandchild, so the clothes are all in the right season ... the seller and I now have an arrangement: When she amasses a bin full of outgrown clothes, she sends me an email and I go by to pick them up.

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My daughter hasn't had to buy new clothes for her baby since she was born! -- F.N, Massachusetts

Shop and plan ahead for the year: Here's a good example of buying with the whole year in mind. Budget $12 plus tax for January. Next, run to the dollar store while you are already out running errands. (Don't use extra gas!) Purchase 12 20-ounce bottles of body wash at $1 each, of various scents and colors. Now, fill each of your hand soap pumps by combining a bit of water and the soap (leaving room to put the pump back in), and shake. For roughly 25 cents per bottle, you have the entire year's worth of hand soap, so you can check it off the stockpile list. This is a cheap and effective way of completing one small thing for an entire year.

I also save money by buying certain items in bulk, such as a year's supply of vinegar. For me, that's 12 gallons. I cook and clean with vinegar; I also use it in the laundry, in the dishwasher and as a rinse in the dog's bath. -- Cricket, Texas

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